Opportunities in the Brazilian job market are available through the program
Photos: Mariana Haupenthal
Since early in August, Colombian student Gustavo Mazo Chiquillo has been facing a new challenge: he decided to do an international internship at Sicredi, a company headquartered at the Science and Technology Park of PUCRS. Chiquillo is the first intern to be admitted through Tecnopuc’s Programa de Estágios Internacionais (International Internships Program), a partnership involving the park and the Office for International Cooperation of PUCRS.
To bring international students to the Brazilian market and, at the same time, encourage multicultural connections inside companies are what the program has been designed for. The program, which is currently in its first edition, is looking for partners for new projects.
International Experience
International trade major from Universidad de San Buenaventura Medellín had been on a Mobility Program at PUCRS in 2017 and is now back to Porto Alegre for an internship. Chiquillo provides support to the UX (user experiences) as well as marketing and data analysis departments. In his view, the internship’s hands-on learning opportunities are unique.
“It is great because not only because I am learning things related to my academic area, but also about the Brazilian culture, which is very important for my training”, comments Chiquillo.
As for the challenges, the Colombian youth stresses the importance of adapting to the country, the culture, the language and the business environment of Brazil. “Being an undergraduate student means taking advantage of the opportunities and, because of that, I highly recommend programs like this”, adds he.
A multicultural environment
For Bruna Silva, Chiquillo’s supervisor at Sicredi, having an international student in the workplace promotes diversity in the company and encourages collaboration and empathy with all colleagues that work with him on a daily basis. “We can learn a lot about other cultures, and we can all benefit greatly from it”, says she.
In her view, taking part the program brings many benefits to an individual, as it is quite an enriching experience. “Welcoming an international student is good for the development of our employees as they can expand their views of globalization by reflecting upon the products that will be developed. On the other hand, the student can learn about our culture and find out more about our corporate methods”, completes she.
According to the regulations of Tecnopuc’s Programa de Estágios Internacionais, each employer will be responsible for recruiting its own applicants. The Academic Mobility team has a list of opportunities for students from partner universities interested in doing an internship during their exchange program and, acts as an interlocutor between businesses and students. For further information, the Academic Mobility team will be available at [email protected].
